What is your role at Ava Recovery? What does that look like day to day?
I am an LCDC so I am one of the primary counselors here. Day to day I spend time leading group therapy, individual sessions and completing assessments as needed when clients come in.
What is your background?
I have been in the treatment field for 9 years now. I got sober in 2011 and began working as a tech in treatment in 2013 and decided to go back to school and get my LCDC.
Why do you love working at Ava Recovery?
I love working at Ava because I feel that there is a culture of mutual respect between the staff and the clients. I want to be able to meet people where they are at and help them work on their goals regardless of whether their goals align with what I might choose to do. This allows a level of autonomy for these clients which I feel like is often lacking in a treatment setting.
Why do you love working in this industry?
I like to help people. As someone who struggled for many years with my own mental health and substance abuse I hope to provide hope to people who might feel hopeless with a sense of hope.
What are you most passionate about professionally? Personally?
Professionally I am passionate about allowing people to have their own experience. I think you can easily strong-arm clients into submission during an inpatient treatment stay, but I don’t feel that this is beneficial in the long run. Personally, I am passionate about animals. I volunteer at a farm animal sanctuary once a week and I am incredibly vocal about pet adoption and the importance of spaying and neutering pets to prevent over-population and unnecessary euthanasia.
